


That Creature

by Lohrendrell



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Introspection, Light Angst, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-28
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:41:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26887534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lohrendrell/pseuds/Lohrendrell
Summary: Humans, she knows, are selfish.Pearl-centric short fic, set post Steven's birth.
Relationships: Pearl & Steven Universe
Kudos: 1





	That Creature

**Author's Note:**

> Another oldie I'm uploading to AO3 for the sake of archiving.  
> Pearl was a fascinating character for me back then, her grief and love, her resentment towards Greg, and all of it merging to create this protectiveness of Steven was just *chef's kiss*. I didn't even watch Steven Universe until the end, but I binge watched it for a little bit in between my studies (I was just beginning uni, oh my, I was so small! (No, I wasn't)).
> 
> Prompt caught in a post on writeworld blog on Tumblr. I didn't save the actual prompt and I don't remember what it was about, lol. Originally posted on 28th June, 2015.

Humans, she knows, are selfish.

Take a look at that human Greg, for example. He appears out of nowhere and suddenly Amethyst and Garnet are friends with him and Rose is doing that, too.

And before long, he’s all over them, as if he’s part of their lives now. And worse of all, he’s taking Rose away from them.

From her.

Pearl wishes there was something she could’ve done. To change Rose’s mind or at least prevent her from doing it, from giving birth and disintegrating herself in the process. But she had been adamant since she discovered she was pregnant – ugh, Pearl thinks, shrinking in her bed, how could Rose ever go through something as disgusting as having something alive inside her? – and there was nothing or no one that would change her mind. And Pearl tried, for Rose’s love, she did try so hard to convince her otherwise!

But it was in vain.

And now she’s gone.

“Pearl?”

Pearl doesn’t need to turn to know it’s Garnet calling for her on the other side of the portal. “Go away,” Pearl tells her, her voice a bit hoarse from all the crying.

“You haven’t left your room for days.”

“I know that. Go away,” Pearl repeats. There aren’t any more noises for a few moments, so she breathes relieved, believing Garnet had the decency to respect her and go away.

Except she doesn’t. The deafening sound of the door being exploded throws a screaming, scared Pearl from her bed.

“Garnet!” she yells. “Do you know what you just did? Do you have any idea how long it’s gonna take us to fix this door?”

Garnet doesn’t answer. She just walks until she’s standing right in front of her. “There’s something I think you should see.”

Alarmed, both because Garnet is not one to destroy things unnecessarily and because this might be their first mission without Rose, their first act without a leader, Pearl follows her outside the room and into the temple. Its floor has been modified, the bluish-gray marble replaced by wood. It was one of the things Rose wanted to do with the temple, before she—

Pearl shakes her head, trying to recompose herself. She can’t let Amethyst see her that way. “What is it, Garnet?”

Garnet points to the stairs, where the epitome of human is sitting with a dumb smile on his face and a pack of something in his arms.

“Hi,” Greg greets. He’s red in the face and annoying in the personality.

“Pearl, look at this!” Amethyst, by his side, calls.

And so she’s introduced to what’s left of Rose: a small handful of human that looks like Greg and smells bad.

This is not Rose, Pearl thinks. She knows, and she sees, and she feels – rather, doesn’t feel Rose’s energy flowing through that body, sending her messages that she’s there, that she’s okay, she’s alive.

“Steven’s his name,” Greg announces, smiling proud to the other Gems, as if that creature Steven’s existence wasn’t related to Rose’s disintegration at all.

“He’s beautiful,” Garnet says. Liar, Pearl thinks.

“He smells bad,” Amethyst states, and Pearl cannot (and doesn’t even want to) stop herself from laughing. She’s never liked Amethyst as much as she does right now.

“Uh, yeah.” Greg’s even more red, embarrassed, probably. (As he should be.) “I have to change his diaper, can I. Can I use a room or a table somewhere?”

Pearl is going to say no, but Garnet beats her to tell him, “Sure. Amethyst will bring a table from her room.”

“Oh, why me?” Amethyst whines, but she’s so happy to see that… that thing with that smaller thing that she goes without fighting so much. “What kind of table, Greg? Like that pingpong one?”

“It might, uh. Kinda. Let me help you!” He turns to Garnet. “Can you hold Steven for just a minute?”

Garnet is silent for a couple of seconds. “Pearl can do it.” Then she’s walking away, following Amethyst.

“What? Garnet!” Pearl screams, but it doesn’t detain her, and she’s left with Greg and his little human.

“Please,” Greg says, “it will only take a minute.”

Pearl sighs. She was never anything less than strong, Rose taught her that, so, even disgusted, she takes the small package in her hands as careful as she can.

“Thanks,” he says, “I’ll be right back.”

Peal doesn’t give him attention, choosing to look at Rose’s remains instead.

The Steven human is just as she thought: weak, ugly and less than a threat, she knows for sure. Humans are selfish, and this one must not be different. He has Greg’s hair, Greg’s big ugly mouth and is a loud, smelly little thing.

However, when she looks at him (really, really looks, as Rose taught her to – look all being in the eyes, for even your enemies hide something in there), she can see that he’s not totally Greg.

Dark, kind, with that distinct, full of life glow inside: those are Rose’s eyes. That living creature is the reason why Rose’s gone. And yet, looking at him in the eyes and seeing Rose there, Pearl finds it difficult to believe there might be evil inside it.

There must be something wrong. The Steven creature is half human, therefore he’s selfish, stupid, mean, ugly, smelly, mortal. Flawed. Steven is Greg’s.

He’s also Rose’s. And Pearl, she…

She…

She doesn’t know what to think.


End file.
